Surprise Study Says It Might Be Dangerous to Live Near a Golf Course

Many people dream of living near a golf course. The very idea conjures up images of a relaxing and healthy lifestyle.

However, a new study has outlined a possible hidden danger to living near a golf course.

The new study is called "Proximity to Golf Courses and Risk of Parkinson Disease." 

Living within one mile of a golf course may be "linked" to a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease. 

The study was conducted by the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona with the Mayo Clinic.

"After adjusting for patient demographics and neighborhood characteristics, living within 1 mile of a golf course was associated with 126% increased odds of developing PD compared with individuals living more than 6 miles away from a golf course," the study says.

"Individuals living within water service areas with a golf course had nearly double the odds of PD compared with individuals in water service areas without golf courses and 49% greater odds compared with individuals with private wells," the researchers wrote. "Additionally, individuals living in water service areas with a golf course in vulnerable groundwater regions had 82% greater odds of developing PD compared with those in nonvulnerable groundwater regions."

However, there are some limitations. The researchers warned, "The role of pesticide exposure from golf courses in Parkinson disease (PD) risk remains unclear."

"These findings suggest that pesticides applied to golf courses may play a role in the incidence of PD [Parkinson's disease] for nearby residents," the researchers wrote, all the same, according to Fox News, which reported that the study analyzed "419 Parkinson’s patients averaging 73 years of age and living near 139 golf courses in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin."

The study's objective was "to assess whether proximity to golf courses is associated with increased PD risk and to use information on groundwater vulnerability and municipal well locations to investigate drinking water contamination as a potential route of exposure."

"In this population-based case-control study, the greatest risk of PD was found within 1 to 3 miles of a golf course and risk generally decreased with distance. Associations with the largest effect sizes were in water service areas with a golf course and in vulnerable ground water regions, the study says.